sacradictus
11-27-2006, 03:20 PM
Hello all! I am happy to have become a member of Soulforce, an organization with such a BIG heart.
I had actually been following the soulforce journey when I first read in our local gay rag, Lavendar, about the Soulforce watch last year. I added it to my website and kept track of the daily journey. I was really inspired that there was an organization without a specific religious affiliation that linked 'gay with OK'!
Lately I have been appreciating the videos page portion of this website community, particularly Mel White's video and the 'Open letter to James Dobson'----what compasssion! I embrace you with holy hugs! I finally just visited the forums component today, so I figure it's about time I establish an identity here along with the rest of you.
My name is Ron, and since last summer I have been formally discerning a vocation becoming a monk with the trappist community. All my life I have had a desire to experience a deep intimate relationship with Christ, and if it be God's will, I will leave all and join the community this summer.
I embrace all expressions of love for God, and support each person's right to seek and meet God through their own experience of who that is for them.
I am currently a church musician, have been for about 30 years, was married for 7 years, long time ago, have 3 grown children, two daughters who identify as lesbian, and one son. I myself, though I realized I was gay in my early teen age years, did not grow up in the climate of acceptance (or lack of) that exists today. My own reaction to my then emerging sexual feelings was that of repression, so I went ahead and got married (my ex knew everything before we took the plunge), thinking it was something that one could 'grow out of', ie, the 'choice' as opposed to the 'orientation' model.
After many painful years of trying to live a scripted dutiful behavior I realized that it was not a healthy situation for my children to be raised by two adults who had no obvious emotional or spiritual connection, and took the risk of leaving a toxic relationship and accepting my self as a gay man.
But even beyond the experiences with a female, and two 5 year relationships with males, I feel and know that I have been created for something beyond the coupling model, hence the resolve to respond to the call to my vocation as a religious and join the monastery (some people can't imagine living a celibate life, but sex for me has never been the largest component of who am, contrary to those who think that LGBT persons are obsessed with sex and/or genital activity, I know that for myself, that is not true, and that is thanks to organizations such as Soulforce who confirm for us that we are not reduced to homophobic depictions and stereotypes of who some may say 'we' are).
I value all relationships between persons that are built on mutual respect and compassion, and realize that psychic, spiritual, emotional sexual and genital expression are both largely inate and conditioned, yet all lie along a broad continuum of expressions, that can embody all the best qualities of God, and are not to be judged or assigned moral status, as superior or inferior in relation to each other.
God meets me wherever I am, and is as likely to show up in the shower as in the shadows.
Well, I hope that gives you enough info to let you know a bit about my construction.
I look forward to enjoying getting to know you as I read your expressions in the forum writings.
Blessings!
I had actually been following the soulforce journey when I first read in our local gay rag, Lavendar, about the Soulforce watch last year. I added it to my website and kept track of the daily journey. I was really inspired that there was an organization without a specific religious affiliation that linked 'gay with OK'!
Lately I have been appreciating the videos page portion of this website community, particularly Mel White's video and the 'Open letter to James Dobson'----what compasssion! I embrace you with holy hugs! I finally just visited the forums component today, so I figure it's about time I establish an identity here along with the rest of you.
My name is Ron, and since last summer I have been formally discerning a vocation becoming a monk with the trappist community. All my life I have had a desire to experience a deep intimate relationship with Christ, and if it be God's will, I will leave all and join the community this summer.
I embrace all expressions of love for God, and support each person's right to seek and meet God through their own experience of who that is for them.
I am currently a church musician, have been for about 30 years, was married for 7 years, long time ago, have 3 grown children, two daughters who identify as lesbian, and one son. I myself, though I realized I was gay in my early teen age years, did not grow up in the climate of acceptance (or lack of) that exists today. My own reaction to my then emerging sexual feelings was that of repression, so I went ahead and got married (my ex knew everything before we took the plunge), thinking it was something that one could 'grow out of', ie, the 'choice' as opposed to the 'orientation' model.
After many painful years of trying to live a scripted dutiful behavior I realized that it was not a healthy situation for my children to be raised by two adults who had no obvious emotional or spiritual connection, and took the risk of leaving a toxic relationship and accepting my self as a gay man.
But even beyond the experiences with a female, and two 5 year relationships with males, I feel and know that I have been created for something beyond the coupling model, hence the resolve to respond to the call to my vocation as a religious and join the monastery (some people can't imagine living a celibate life, but sex for me has never been the largest component of who am, contrary to those who think that LGBT persons are obsessed with sex and/or genital activity, I know that for myself, that is not true, and that is thanks to organizations such as Soulforce who confirm for us that we are not reduced to homophobic depictions and stereotypes of who some may say 'we' are).
I value all relationships between persons that are built on mutual respect and compassion, and realize that psychic, spiritual, emotional sexual and genital expression are both largely inate and conditioned, yet all lie along a broad continuum of expressions, that can embody all the best qualities of God, and are not to be judged or assigned moral status, as superior or inferior in relation to each other.
God meets me wherever I am, and is as likely to show up in the shower as in the shadows.
Well, I hope that gives you enough info to let you know a bit about my construction.
I look forward to enjoying getting to know you as I read your expressions in the forum writings.
Blessings!